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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26134168">The Cipher and The Spy, Part VI</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saradi/pseuds/Saradi'>Saradi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Cipher and the Spy [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Feels, Putting Theron in the early Cipher Nine story</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:53:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,012</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26134168</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saradi/pseuds/Saradi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Female Imperial Agent | Cipher Nine/Theron Shan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Cipher and the Spy [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825405</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Cipher and The Spy, Part VI</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u">THERON</span>
</p><p>I <em>had</em> seen her since Tatooine.  </p><p>After managing to get out of every assignment that might come in contact with her, I was finishing one up on Rishi.   It was at a beach resort on the main southern island.  It was the kind of place you go to if you have money and just want peace and quiet.  It wasn't glitzy like the Coruscant beach resorts - where it was more important to be seen.  Here, the premium was privacy, and money could buy just about anything.</p><p>I had been planted as a bartender in order to follow my mark, a Senator accused of selling secrets to the Empire.  He had come here to meet his contact, but I knew it wasn't her.  She must really be here for vacation.  Va-ca-tion.  What a nice word. Just sort of rolls off your tongue.  I hadn't had one since I can't even remember.</p><p>I was just finishing up my 'shift' and closing out the register when something made me look up.   Across the pool, just putting her stuff down near a lounge chair...there she was.   </p><p>She was wearing possibly the smallest swim outfit I had ever seen, which, knowing her, had probably cost a couple of handfuls of credits even though there wasn't much there.  There were a lot of strings and ties - it would be a fun puzzle to take it off.  There you go again, Shan.  Your mind goes straight to getting her out of anything she's wearing.  Of course she looked amazing.  My fingers longed to touch, as though they had a will of their own.</p><p>I closed my eyes for a second to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.  Nope.  It was her.  She looked over toward me, looking for the bar, or someone to bring her a drink more likely.  I was in the shade, and she was in full sun.  She wouldn't be able to see me.   All I had to do was say hello, and she would probably be in my arms tonight.  Yes, please. Before she could see me, a man came up to her.  He was also dressed in swim gear. </p><p>This guy was impossibly fit.  I mean, I work out some, but this guy.... This guy was “I take anabolics and am enhanced somehow” fit.  Square jaw, great smile, he was standing pretty close to her.  What a creep.</p><p>I'm thinking maybe I'm going to have to go in and save the damsel in distress, maybe be the hero who would be repaid...you know. This guy would leave a bruise or two. Maybe she could nurse me back to health, that would be fine.   He leaned in and kissed her.  She kissed him back,  smiling and caressing his face, then pointed at the lounge chair beside her.   </p><p>Someone had definitely stealthed up and punched me as hard as they could in my solar plexus.  I felt like I couldn't breathe. I mean, she might not even remember me.  Of course she has other...whatever he was..people?  I've dated.  Sort of.  I'm not mooning over this one woman.  Much.  Quickly, I grabbed my things and turned my back to walk to the manager's office to clock out before I disappeared – this was my last day.  Thank God.</p><p>Of course, I had to look out the window before I left.  The guy had put his towel and whatnot down and was rubbing SPF on his skin. Surprised he wasn't automatically equipped with it. She was looking over towards this building, her hand shading her eyes and a puzzled look on her face. I'm pretty sure she hadn't gotten a good look at me.</p><p>I sighed.  Ok, I'm out.  </p><p>On the way back to Coruscant, I had some time on my hands, and was working on the holonet anyway.   A quick slice into the Imperial database and I found him.   Vector Hyllus.   I didn't dig too far, but found out he's the son of a well-respected, very loyal Imperial Navy Captain, and comes from an old, wealthy Kaasian family.  Saradi did too.  Maybe they went to the same Cotillions and tea parties, or a class on How to Spend your Trust Fund in Ten Easy Lessons  ...am I sounding ...? Nevermind.</p><p>He was with the diplomatic corps and had last been stationed on Alderaan.  Achievement..achievement...award..promotion...  Then his record got weirdly murky and I couldn't find anything.  He was still attached to the DC, drawing a paycheck, but no idea where their paths had crossed.  </p><p>Oh well, it wasn't important - I'm so over her.  </p><p>Pretty much.</p><p>The next time I saw them together, was on a holo feed of the Argus Base on Corellia.   He was definitely not a diplomat.  Not with the precision way he fought – and yet he wasn't an Imperial either.  Very weird.  </p><p>And then...she was gone.  Died in a building explosion during the battle when the detonator went off too early and she hadn't gotten out.  Ardun Kothe told Grandmaster Shan about it, and she'd told me – not knowing that it might mean something to me other than Ardun Kothe was okay. Or maybe she did know. Saradi had gotten Kothe out, saving his life, then lost hers.</p><p>At least I had a memory.</p><p>I'm helping Lana Beniko, an Imperial Intelligence staffer  (long story) work an op on Manaan.  The team she had sent into the underwater lab to find our traitors was sabotaged and I was trying to get an emergency pod to them.</p><p>“Hang on,”  I said after the comm frequency had opened.  “The emergency pod is almost there, but not quite.”</p><p>There was silence and I looked up.  The holovid was graycast, but I would have been looking into those deep blue eyes.  </p><p>“...Theron?”  she said.  I know my jaw dropped, but I also knew we had no time to spare.</p><p>“Yeah, it's me.” I said sharply.  And you're dead.  You died at the Battle of Corellia, yet here you are.  </p><p>Maybe the Force really is real, and it doesn't hate me after all.</p><p>“Hang on.”</p>
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